An ad hoc committee comprising representatives of different political parties and apolitical organisations has been formed during the two-day convention organised by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Delhi to push the agenda of Gorkhaland.

The Morcha headed by Bimal Gurung organised the event to draw support from Gorkhas living in different states of the country and also to float a national-level committee that would take up the longstanding demand of the separate state with the Centre.

“An ad hoc committee has been formed at the convention. It will prepare the modalities for our further move and on January 23, we will meet again to form a full-fledged committee,” Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said.

It is still not clear which party or the leader will be on the ad hoc committee.

The venue of the next meeting is yet to be decided.

The convention that was held in Delhi on Saturday and Sunday was a centre of attraction as some prominent faces from other political forces like Binay Tamang of the Trinamul Congress and Ajay Edwards, who heads the Hamro Party, were present.

Over the past few months, the Gorkhaland issue has started gaining ground again. Leaders like Bimal Gurung have reasserted the demand and underscored the need to have a national-level forum to work on it.

The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabha run by the Anit Thapaled Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha had passed a resolution in support of the demand.

However, Thapa, who is known for having good relations with Trinamul, simultaneously said his efforts had restored peace and normality in the hills and no steps should be taken to jeopardise it.

Some senior Morcha leaders expressed disappointment over the absence of Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista from the convention.

“The MP wrote to the organisers, saying he wouldn’t be available because of his preoccupations. We believe he should have attended the convention as he had won the elections on the issue of statehood,” said a Morcha leader.